As the climate warms, scientists will have to search for more drastic ways to prevent its negative effects. One possible method involves trying to create devices that mimic volcanoes, which naturally spew dust particles that reflect sunlight away from Earth.

It won't be easy bouncing the sun's hot rays away from our little planet, but a big balloon -- think stadium-sized -- could help lead the way.

At least, that's the theory for what is the world's first major experiment in "geoengineering," in which humans try to manipulate Earth's natural systems on a large scale in order to prevent the negative impacts of climate change. In this case, the scientists are attempting to create a contraption that mimics volcanoes and discharges into the stratosphere sulphates and other dust particles (aka "aerosols" -- which does not refer to chemicals in ozone-destroying spray cans but the types of sunlight-reflecting particles that volcanoes disgorge).

Before they put a whole stadium-sized balloon into the stratosphere, the British team will do a field test in the next few months. They will deploy a mini version of the balloon-and-hose device almost two-thirds of a mile into the air and have it pump out water, just to see if the device works.

Climate scientists and engineers have yet to gauge:

how practicable the balloon-and-hose setup is

whether it is possible to manage a balloon floating more than twice as high as the cruising altitude of commercial airliners

what substance and how much of it needs to be injected into the atmosphere to combat the effects of change, while preventing harm to the climate, ecosystems and human health